Category Archives: Uncategorized

In last night’s BBC documentary ‘Growing Up Jewish’ we followed four Jewish 12/13-year-olds preparing for their transition to adulthood – Dylan for his Bar Mitzvah, Ayala, Talia and Eve for their Bat Mitzvah… studying Hebrew texts, embracing their Jewish values, faith and culture. Although the influence of their families was clear, it was good toContinue reading “Don’t Make Excuses – Take Responsibility!”

Woody… The bird-feeders hanging from our apple tree attract a variety of birds to our garden. There’s a big bullying crow, stupid pigeons, friendly robins, cheerfully singing blackbirds, busy chaffinches, gregarious bluetits… each has its own character. Our favourites are the woodpeckers. At this time of year they’re frequent visitors. All are called ‘Woody’. WoodyContinue reading “Woody and Head-Banging”

Today’s 23rd April – St George’s day. In the legend of St George, a fire-breathing dragon terrorises a village. The villagers sacrifice their sheep to the dragon. Running out of sheep they sacrifice their children. They’re about to sacrifice the princess. George defeats the dragon and saves the village. Dragons speak of powerful evil forcesContinue reading “Dragons, Princesses and Heroes”

Yesterday was the London Marathon. We saw the huge spectacle of over 50,000 people running through London… we saw fridge-bearing runner Daniel Fairbrother proposing to his girlfriend Hayley; he’d kept an engagement ring wrapped in toilet roll; Daniel’s strength– running 26 miles carrying a 26kg fridge called Tallulah to raise £10,000 for Diabetes UK… metContinue reading “Where Love Meets Hope”

I heard this Zach Williams song for the first time this week; it resonated with me immediately… When he told you you’re not good enoughWhen he told you you’re not rightWhen he told you you’re not strong enoughTo put up a good fightWhen he told you you’re not worthyWhen he told you you’re not lovedWhenContinue reading “Fear Is a Liar”

In an excellent article ‘Rooting out the Narcissist’, Carrie Lloyd describes film producer Harvey Weinstein… It could make a good blog – the Greek myth – Narcissus falls in love with his own reflection, a narcissus from our garden, the narcissistic personality disorder, examples from Hollywood, politics and the church, quotes from Carrie’s article: ‘WhenContinue reading “Focus On Willow, Dave, Tamar…”

This morning I was reading about Elijah… fleeing for his life from the threats of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. Stressed, depressed and suicidal, he eats a bit, drinks a bit, sleeps a bit, keeps running, and finds a cave in ‘The Mountain of God’. God asks: ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ Elijah explainsContinue reading “What Are You Doing Here?”

In her ‘Adventures in Wonderland’, Alice comes across the March Hare and the Mad Hatter at a table having tea, with the Dormouse between them, fast asleep: ‘The table was a large one, but the three were all crowded together at one corner of it. ‘No room! No room!’ they cried out when they sawContinue reading “No Room!”

The best grandad jokes are the ones that need explaining; what starts as a bad joke, finishes awful. For example: What did the grape say when it was crushed? It let out a little whine. The joke itself is bad enough; explaining that wine comes from grapes, and that complaining grandchildren (not yours of course!)Continue reading “Wine or Whine?”

On Sunday Minister-Lou quoted American computer scientist and animator Ed Catmull. Apparently, he was co-founder of Pixar and President of Walt Disney Animation Studios. Catmull said: ‘…there is a sweet spot between the known and the unknown where originality happens; the key is to be able to linger there without panicking.’ I recalled my daysContinue reading “The Sweet Spot”